{news} Fightin' Words Fly Over Tax Plan

[Jean de Smet]

Should we endorse her proposal?  Let's think about it and discuss it at the
meeting.

 

 

Jean

 

-----Original Message-----
From: ctgp-news-bounces at ml.greens.org
[mailto:ctgp-news-bounces at ml.greens.org] On Behalf Of clifford thornton
Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 7:58 AM
To: ctgp-news
Subject: {news} Fightin' Words Fly Over Tax Plan

 

http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-rellbudget0209.artfeb09,0,7750778.st
ory?coll=hc-headlines-politics-state

 

The cigerette tax will spur more hijacking of cigerette trucks.

At present, the hijacking of cigerette trucks are in the top

three for hijacaking.  This plan sounds a lot like what we

Greens were talking about.  Our Ideas have permeated

the Republican party. 

 

 

 


POLITICS


Fightin' Words Fly Over Tax Plan


Amann, Rell Open '07 Budget Battle
February 9, 2007 
By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, Capitol Bureau Chief 

 


A day after Gov. M. Jodi Rell's stunning proposal to increase the state
income tax, the House speaker on Thursday charged she "didn't have the guts
to tell people" during last fall's election campaign that she planned to
raise taxes.

The allegation by Democratic House Speaker James Amann was part of a
sometimes fiery, sometimes condescending exchange of statements between him
and the governor over funding her plan for sweeping improvements to the
state's public schools.



 



 


 


 

Amann had questioned Rell's plan to raise $1.3 billion in new income taxes
over the next two years when the state already has $1 billion in a "rainy
day" fund and anticipates a surplus of more than a half-billion dollars in
the current fiscal year.

Referring to remarks Amann made Wednesday, the governor - during an
unexpected visit to the Capitol press room - dismissed using a surplus to
pay for an ongoing schools program because the money may not be there in the
future.

"Frankly, the speaker is the speaker of the House. He knows better," Rell
chided. "That's not how you operate."

Told of that remark, Amann retorted, "I don't need Mother Rell to wag her
finger in my face about budgets." Then he assailed her for not talking about
tax increases before an election she ultimately won in a landslide.

In presenting her budget Wednesday, the governor proposed raising the state
income tax from its current 5 percent to 5.5 percent over two years. She
would use the $1.3 billion in new revenue for a dramatic increase in
education spending, coupled with wide-ranging improvements in programs from
early childhood education to college.

Amann questioned the need for so much new tax revenue and complained that
the bulging state surplus indicated residents already are overtaxed. That
touched off Thursday's rhetorical ping-pong match.

During her visit to the Capitol press room, Rell was asked about her
position on the "millionaires' tax." She responded by volunteering that
Amann's statements about surpluses had been off-base.

"My comment to that is this is exactly the mistake that was made in the
early '80s, when people said we have this money, let's go ahead and pay for
this new program," Rell said. "And the next year, it wasn't there. The worst
thing we could do now is use one-time revenue for any ongoing program."

She added: "It's just not feasible to do that. ... There's some tough
decisions to be made."

Amann said the state could never have generated surpluses on a regular basis
in recent years without the tax revenues from hard-working citizens.

"First of all, she's all wet," Amann said of Rell. "We raised too many taxes
already or else we wouldn't have a surplus. Somebody's being overtaxed, and
I think the governor should understand that. I don't need to be lectured by
someone who was part of the Rowland-Rell administration. Give me a break!"

Amann said he was trying to make a broader point that the state's coffers
have been filling up lately. All indications are that the surplus will only
grow larger from capital gains taxes, he said, because the Dow Jones
industrial average has broken records multiple times in recent months.

As a result, he said, the projections that the state could have a deficit as
much as $800 million next year, based on the current services that are being
offered, are inflated and erroneous.

Amann also criticized Rell for proposing the elimination of the estate tax
for those who die with more than $2 million. He said her plan for hiking the
cigarette tax to $2 per pack would disproportionately hurt those who could
least afford the increase.

"She's also taxing the same people who got nailed with huge utility
increases, and the middle class is tired of it," said Amann, a Milford
Democrat who was first elected to the legislature in 1990. "She's taxing the
wrong people. Don't put a cigarette tax on the middle class."

Instead, Amann called again for the so-called millionaires' tax that he said
should be imposed on "the rich of the rich - those making $500,000 or more."
He added that Rell is proposing the estate-tax elimination so that "all her
millionaire buddies" would benefit.

Despite the rhetoric of the day, Amann predicted that the Democrats and the
Rell administration would eventually reach a budget compromise as they have
in the past.

Thursday's comments were reminiscent of Amann's April 2005 statement that he
didn't care if Rell developed carpal tunnel syndrome - a condition caused by
repetitive motion - from vetoing so many Democratic budgets. Less than two
months later, the two sides reached a final budget agreement.

When asked if the budget unveiled Wednesday would be finished before the
legislature adjourns June 6, Amann said, "We're going to be fine."

During her discussion with reporters Thursday, Rell did not rule out the
millionaires' tax that many expect the Democrats to propose. She said the
issue would be open to discussion over the next four months.

Asked again for her position on it, Rell said, "That subject has not been
broached to me publicly, except in the paper. Do I want it? Nah."

Contact Christopher Keating at ckeating at courant.com. 

 

 

 

Efficacy
PO Box 1234
860 657 8438
Hartford, CT 06143
efficacy at msn.com
www.Efficacy-online.org
 
Working to end race and class drug war injustice, Efficacy is a non profit
501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1997. Your gifts and donations are tax
deductible

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